════════════════════════════════
Chapter 14 — Hidden Secrets
"I'm-"
════════════════════════════════
"Oh, hello there Hedwig. You didn't fly all the way over, did you?"
Damian watched as Y/n fed an unfamiliar owl a day before New Years (December 31st). She untied the letter from the owl's leg before turning to the owl. "I'll just let you stay here with me, okay? There's no point flying back when I'm returning to school the day after tomorrow."
The owl hooted, which had somehow attracted Oaklyn from Y/n's room. The two owls hooted at each other, before Oaklyn flew off, making Hedwig follow. Damian looked confused. "Y/n, who's owl is that? Another one of yours?"
"No, it's one of my friends. You wouldn't believe how many owls were trained like this (Y/n cringed on the inside, owls weren't trained, it was a relationship wizards/witches could form with owls or any other type of animal/magical creature)."
Damian seemed to accept the answer before looking at the letter in Y/n's hands. She noticed and smiled cheekily before placing the letter in her pocket and going towards her room to read it privately. Damian sighed, curious, but didn't bother trying to figure out what the letter read.
════════════════
Dear Y/n,
You're kind of lucky for deciding to go home for the holidays. Ron and Hermione keep fighting from time to time over Krum. It's starting to get annoying.
I remembered that your new family is muggle from past conversations, so Hermione helped me cast a spell to hide these two sentences from anyone other than you. I'm going to be writing, well, a bit more muggle-like just in case your family sees this letter.
The bird egg has finally hatched and we're trying to figure out what kind of bird it is. It's pretty difficult. I'm sure when you return you'll have an idea... hopefully.
The daily school newspaper has some awful articles about Hagrid. We've tried cheering him up, and he seems a bit better, but I think he'd feel better if you checked on him too. We could all go together to check on him. Oh, and don't ask about the article, it was just plain rude.
Here's some daily gossip around our school, though it's a bit boring:
One of our professor's friends, Mr. Crouch, hasn't been attending work lately. Do you think he'll get fired if he's absent for too long? Also, Bagman offered to help me cheat on a test. I'm not exactly impressed with him right now, and I definitely don't want his help.
Well, that's all, I hope your holidays were fun with your family.
See you soon!
Harry
Thoughts were going through Y/n's head, the Second Task, worrying about Hagrid, hate on whoever wrote the article (whom she guessed was Rita Skeeter), and why Mr. Crouch and Ludo Bagman were acting weirdly. Y/n stored the letter in one of her drawers and took out a paper and pencil to return the letter.
Dear Harry,
I hope Hermione isn't around when I send Zooky. I'm keeping Hedwig here with me so then she doesn't exhaust herself flying all the way back to Hogwarts.
Honestly I'm glad that you've finally figured out the egg. If you guys still need help when I get back I'll try my best to, but if Hermione can't figure it out, I probably won't.
Let me guess, it was Rita Skeeter wasn't it? Honestly, wasn't she kicked out of Hogwarts at the beginning of the First Task? She's such an awful woman. I hope Hagrid is doing better now. With you three checking in on him I'm sure he'll be back in spirits in a few days. I'll definitely see him with you three when we visit him next time.
Really? Mr. Crouch not working? I don't know what to think of that, but it's odd because I remember my Lolo telling me that Mr. Crouch was always a hard worker. If he wasn't married to his wife he was married to his job. And Bagman seriously needs to know his boundaries. If you were caught cheating rumors would spread like wildfire! I'm glad you didn't accept, it wouldn't be fair to the other contestants right?
I had fun with my family! I'll tell you and the other two about my holidays when I get back.
You smell like a baka,
Y/n
Y/n grinned at her closing, keeping the laughter to herself as she folded up her letter. "Zooky!" she whispered, and with a pop, Zooky appeared in front of her.
"What do you need Miss Y/n?" Zooky whispered, knowing that she shouldn't be caught by the other members of Y/n's new family.
"Please take this letter to Harry Potter for me. Thank you." Y/n replied as Zooky took the letter, disappearing once more to do her given task.
════════════════
Damian in the end had given into curiosity and found the letter in Y/n's room as she was out with Jason on another motorbike ride. At this point Y/n should have her own motorbike but she wasn't old enough to ride one on her own yet.
Reading over the letter, Damian didn't find anything of importance in it. However, he was curious who this Harry person was. It didn't include a last name so he couldn't go search it up and find him. Placing the letter back where he found it, he left Y/n's room but was caught by one of his brothers.
"What were you doing in there?" Tim asked, confused and suspicious.
"None of your business Drake." Damian replied, moving to walk away. Tim followed him.
"That's Y/n's room. And right now she's with Jason, and I'm sure you knew that too. So what were you doing there?" Tim kept pressuring and annoying him until he snapped.
"Y/n got a letter from some guy named Harry and I was curious." Then Damian left quickly as Tim tried to process his words.
════════════════
"So Y/n, did you get a boyfriend during school?" Was a question that came up during dinner. Thankfully, Y/n wasn't eating or drinking her water so she didn't choke on anything in surprise.
"No... what made you bring that up Bruce?" Y/n asked, curious. In the back of her mind, she thought it could be a normal question, but after receiving a letter from Harry, she suspected that someone had snuck in her room and read it.
"It's been going around the house all day." Bruce simply replied, calmly eating his food though inside he was panicking. He was not ready for his daughter to have a boyfriend just yet.
"Well, if you really want to know, I have roughly a bit more friends who are boys than girls, but I haven't felt any... romantic interest with any of them. Except for my date to the gala. My gala date was very hot."
Now that caused chaos as the brothers started shouting questions like who it was, who was their name, their address, and Y/n couldn't help but laugh. Bruce just smiled, holding back his laughter. Finishing her dinner, she snuck off to exit. Turning her back to the chaos, she passed Alfred and whispered to him, "I danced with a mirror at the gala." And Alfred couldn't help but let out a laugh too.
════════════════
"Hi Bruce, I've got all my stuff."
But Bruce wasn't in his office yet, which confused Y/n. She came at the exact time Bruce told her to arrive, 12pm. When she returned to Hogwarts it would be 7pm. So, she sat in the room, her bags at her side as she waited.
She couldn't leave without saying goodbye, and she knew that Bruce would panic if he didn't see her leave with his own two eyes.
As she waited in the room for a couple more hours, almost falling asleep on the chair, she heard the door open, but when she peeked one of her eyes open, it was Dick, so she continued to pretend to sleep.
"What is she still doing here?" Y/n heard Dick whisper to himself. He must have put some explanation in his mind since he moved her bags closer and next to her "sleeping" self. As her breath stayed calm and slowed, Y/n felt his pair of lips brushing her forehead, placing a blanket on her, then moving away.
Y/n opened her eyes slightly once more, only to see her brother turn the hands of the grandfather clock in the room to 10:48. A panel opened and his brother went inside. As it shut behind him, Y/n opened her eyes fully.
What. Was. That.
A secret room? A hideout? But this was the main study, the one that their father uses all the time so... he must have shown Dick, and perhaps the rest of the family before she was adopted. But why would they-
The panel opened again to see Bruce, looking a bit panicked like he forgot something. But when he made eye contact with his daughter who was staring him wide eyed, he knew he had to explain himself.
"I'm-"
"I know, I know. You're sorry you forgot that you had to see me off. You were probably caught up with something as..."
"Batman. Yes."
It was silent as Bruce could see the gears turning in her head. It seemed that she was close to figuring it out on her own as well but never really got into it since she wasn't at the manor for a large amount of time yet.
"... I see. Well that's fine." Bruce raised an eyebrow, confused at Y/n's response. Y/n caught it and explained, "You have a secret, I assume my brothers also keep this secret, and I had a secret of my own too. To keep each other safe, so there's really no need for me to be questioning you. Besides, finding out that you're one of my favourite superheroes is cool!"
Bruce smiled as Y/n stood up, brushing the imaginary dust off her. "One of your favourite superheroes?"
"Well yeah, the Robins are my favourites too."
Y/n, ready to leave, grabbed her bags and stepped into the fireplace, scooping some Floo Powder in a pouch that was given to Bruce. She smiled up at her father, the dark brooding Batman who was less dark and brooding then the world presumed.
"Bye Bruce. See you in... a couple of months!"
"Goodbye Y/n."
Bruce watched in fascination as Y/n threw the powder on the ground of the fireplace, shouting "Hogwarts!". The fire turned green and Y/n and her belongings disappeared. Bruce's phone rang and he picked it up.
"Father, where are you?"
"I just finished dropping off Y/n at the train station. I'm coming back right now."
"Good. Because Drake is saying he found something."
Next chapter is about the past! Ey!
Signed,
Skyalent